One of my most memorable parenting moments is when my family waited at the airport to head off to a vacation at Disney World. At that time, we had six children, and I was seven months pregnant. (And going to Disney! Phew!) We were ready to pre-board and our kids were all waiting in line patiently (mostly) to get on the plane.

Before we headed down the concourse to board, a few passengers waiting in line approached my husband and I to compliment our well-behaved children. They were excited to be going to Disney World, but what grabbed a lot of attention was that they listened to our directions—the first time!

Anyone who’s been in the trenches of parenthood knows how frustrating it can be to ask your child to do something only to be ignored. What I didn’t realize at the beginning of my parenting journey was that when my kids didn’t respond to my requests, it wasn’t because they were blowing me off, it was because of how I asked as well as I truly had no expectations for follow-up.

Eight kids later, I don’t profess to have all the answers to raising kids, but I am always happy to share my successes. I once struggled with kids who didn’t always pay attention to what I asked, but once I figured out the winning formula, my cherubs rarely tuned me out.

Want your kids to listen up and follow your lead? Mighty Mommy shares four fast tips that will make following directions a cinch.

Four Strategies to Help Your Child Follow Directions

Attention Please

Tone of Voice

Clarify

Praise

Here is each tip in more detail.

1.Attention Please

Kids have a wonderful gift of imagination and playfulness. In addition, they know unconditional love, yet can turn on a dime when their uncontrollable need to be stubborn takes over, as well as their unknowing intention to be distracted.

When you want to connect with your child and deliver a request, the first step is to get his attention. You can’t fault him for not arriving to the breakfast table on your timetable when it’s far more exciting for him to stop and play with his trucks or plop down in front of his favorite morning cartoon. The key to success is to gain his attention by being as direct as possible.

By this I mean you can’t cry out your request from two rooms away, or plead and barter in hopes he might listen on the third or fourth try. Instead, put yourself in your child’s shoes. If you’re trying to get your four-year-old to get ready for pre-school, would you stop playing with your favorite toys just to put your shoes on? Probably not. Kids have one job—to be kids. You can’t fault them for staying in their zone of play no matter how desperately you want to get out the door to school on time.

Instead of hollering from the other side of the house for your son to find his shoes and hurry to get in the car so you’re not late for school, stop what you’re doing (yes, no multi-tasking with preparing breakfast, checking your morning e-mails, and combing your daughter’s hair). Go right to your son and give him short and sweet directions. “Sam, please put your truck down and get your shoes for me. When we get home after school, you can play with your toys.” Be sure to make eye contact and get him to acknowledge that he heard your request.

Kids need to learn to follow the rules, but be prepared to practice patience if you and your child are not in a rule-following routine. (You as the parent set the momentum.) The payoff when you’re consistently direct is a child who becomes a rule follower! And if you have more than one child, you’ll be modeling this approach for all your kids, which in turn can have a positive ripple effect throughout the family.

2. Tone of Voice

In my episode How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids, one of my tips is to turn your voice into a whisper. If you tend to be loud by nature or mindlessly raise your voice to your kids—whether you’re upset with them about something they did or when trying to get their attention—don’t be surprised if eventually they simply tune you out.

Your tone of voice is so important when communicating a request to one of your children. If you're angry, frantic, or come across as disgusted by your child’s actions or lack of following a direction, the end result will probably be that you’re going to be ignored.

As stated in my first tip on being direct with your request, if you use a calm, matter-of-fact tone your daughter will listen because you’re asking in a reasonable manner. No one responds well to being yelled at, even if they were wrong and should’ve obeyed a rule.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Yelling Doesn’t Help, May Harm Adolescents study finds the use of harsh verbal discipline—defined as shouting, cursing, or using insults—may be just as detrimental to the long-term well-being of adolescents as physical punishment.